Cornus walteri - Walter Dogwood

Family - Cornaceae

Size - Supposedly can grow 30 to 40 feet tall. The one on campus has been growing for about 8 years and is approximately 7 to 8 feet tall and twice as wide. Very low branching and I think tends to be a large shrub in youth. As it ages I suppose that it will gain more of a tree stature. Only time will tell.

Foliage - simple, opposite -- approximately 3 to 4 inches in length.

Flower/Fruit/Seed - Flower's are white cymes, approximately 4 inches in diameter. A really spectacular tree in flower. Flowers for about a 5 week period beginning in early May and extending into June. Many times, it will flower again in late summer but not as heavily.

Bark - Described as being "alligator hide" in appearance.

Problems - maybe some leaf spot that is very minor, but otherwise it's problem free.

Landscape Use - If trained early and limbed up it can make a beautiful specimen/patio tree. It's bark, lack of problems, and multi-seasonal flowering ability offer a lot. The downside? It is extremely rare in the industry. It will be impossible to find from your average retail garden center but is worth hunting for and procuring. It would have to be purchased in a small size (liner) through a specialty grower. Until it becomes better known, landscape size material won't be found.

Performance 9 - Is an urban tolerant tree. It seems to hold up well to pollution, and is quite drought resistant.